The Yoke eBook

He was a man of one attitude, one mood and few words.
The Memnon might as well have been expected to smile.
The earliest riser found him there; the latest night
wanderer came upon him. When the day broke,
after the falling of the dreadful night, the brave
or the thirsty who ventured forth saw him at his post,
silent, unastonished, unafraid.

Once only the soldier had been seen to flinch.
Merenra, now nomarch of Bubastis, but whilom commander
over Israel at Pa-Ramesu, paused one noon with his
train at the well. The governor glanced at the
soldier, glanced again, shrugged his shoulders and
rode away. The man-at-arms winced, and often
thereafter stood in abstracted contemplation of the
distance.

Just after sunrise on the second day following the
passing of the darkness, four Egyptians, lank, big-footed
and brown, came from the northeast. By their
dress they had been prosperous rustics of the un-Israelite
Delta. But the healthful leanness, characteristic
of the race, had become emaciation; there was the
studious unkemptness of mourning upon them, and they,
who had ridden once, before the plagues of murrain
and hail, traveled afoot.

They were evidently journeying to On, where the benevolence
of Ra would feed them.

They said nothing, looking a little awed at the soldier
and puzzled at the stela. The warrior read the
command and the unlettered men fell on their knees,
each to a different god. The Egyptian was not
ashamed of his piety nor did he closet himself to
pray.

“Incline the will of the Pharaoh to accord with
the needs of the hour, O thou Melter of Hearts!”

“Rescue the kingdom, O thou Controller of Nations,
for it descendeth into death and none succoreth it!”

“Deal thou as thou deemest best with the destroyer
of Egypt, O thou Magistrate over Kings!”

Thus, in these fragments of prayers was it made manifest
that the worm was turning, apologetically, it is true,
but surely. For once the prescribed defense
of the Pharaoh was ignored. “It is not
the fault of the Child of the Sun, but his advisers,
who are evil men and full of guile.” And
in the odd perversity of fate for once its observance
would have been just.

Having fulfilled the command and relieved their souls,
the four arose and went their way, soft of foot and
stately of carriage, after the manner of all their
countrymen.

Next, descending with a volley of yells, a rout of
the nomad tribes, mounted on horses, came from the
southwest.

They were chiefly Bedouins, their women perched behind
them with the tiniest members of their broods.
But every child that could bestride a horse was mounted
independently. Whatever worldly possessions the
nomads owned were bound in numerous flat rolls on other
horses which they led.

“Hail!” they shouted to the warrior, for
the desert races are prankish and unabashed.
A younger among them, without wife or goods, drew
his gaunt horse back upon its scarred haunches and
saluted the soldier.